Our Aspiring Writers League (O.A.W.L)

[MBRShorse]

Hello everyone! Just letting you know that I am looking for a mini-mod to help me accept all the new members that are coming in. I'm having a few life troubles, so keeping up is becoming hard. If you are interested, please message me telling me what kind of mini-mod experience you have and why you think you would be a great mini-mod! Thanks!

And to those who have applications that haven't been accepted yet, feel free to talk and I'll look at them momentarily. I just have some thing to sort out first.

[MoonheartTheWarrior]

And to those who have applications that haven't been accepted yet, feel free to talk and I'll look at them momentarily. I just have some thing to sort out first.

OK. My form is in the 32nd page :3

[Apperception]

I get a lot of plot ideas 24/7. Especially when I try to sleep. I just got this idea for a story, although I just came up with it a few minutes an hour ago, so there'll most likely be some confusing spaces. I want to know if this is original/sort of original and if you might have any ideas for names for some characters (feel free to PM me names x3):

First off, the story is about a bunch of "colonies" of mice, voles, rats and some other rodents from the superfamily "Muroidea", as well as some squirrels. The main character is a small female Fox Squirrel who is the "apprentice" of her colony's leader. Because there aren't many squirrels in the colonies, many rodents have doubts about her being a good future leader, but she doesn't mind it, and most of the rodents in her colony, the Eastern Colony (which is in the eastern part of the colonies' territories), don't really care about the fact she's a squirrel. One day, the lead hunter gets angry at her for not being able to help his daughter, a hamster pup, (the leader and his/her apprentice are also the healers (I also do my best to make sure they don't use the same plants as warrior cats do to heal o3o) of each colony x3) who had a disease that none of the healers had ever seen before, and, slowly, after the young pup died, many other members of all the colonies got the disease, and eventually, each of the tribes had less than half the members it had before they found the disease because they had to kick out the sick rodents so they won't get the disease, but usually that didn't work. Eventually, none of the living rodents where sick anymore, and then all of the colonies got angry at the Eastern Colony because they believed the disease came from them, and they kicked out the members of the Eastern Colony and they had to fend for themselves. A few of the rodents lived in smaller groups, each of them containing at least one hunter from the Colony and at least one fighter so all the members of the small groups could learn how to hunt and fight (but mostly hunt), and everyone started to hate the main character. She ran away from the small territory her former colony-members settled into, and she struggled to fend for herself. After a few days, she meets another squirrel and they quickly become friends.
That's all I've been able to come up with so far. Sorry if any of it is confusing, and sorry it's all in one huge paragraph x3

Sounds like a warriors cat series, with a different species of animal. I found many similarities, but then again, there were quite a few differences. I'm not saying it doesn't have the potential to become a great book, but I think it may be a good idea to change it up a little bit. Just my opinion, I don't mean to offend you, or your book idea.

I know you said that you're at the beginning of planning it out, and that it's fresh in your mind, so I don't have too much to say.

[MoonheartTheWarrior]

I get a lot of plot ideas 24/7. Especially when I try to sleep. I just got this idea for a story, although I just came up with it a few minutes an hour ago, so there'll most likely be some confusing spaces. I want to know if this is original/sort of original and if you might have any ideas for names for some characters (feel free to PM me names x3):

First off, the story is about a bunch of "colonies" of mice, voles, rats and some other rodents from the superfamily "Muroidea", as well as some squirrels. The main character is a small female Fox Squirrel who is the "apprentice" of her colony's leader. Because there aren't many squirrels in the colonies, many rodents have doubts about her being a good future leader, but she doesn't mind it, and most of the rodents in her colony, the Eastern Colony (which is in the eastern part of the colonies' territories), don't really care about the fact she's a squirrel. One day, the lead hunter gets angry at her for not being able to help his daughter, a hamster pup, (the leader and his/her apprentice are also the healers (I also do my best to make sure they don't use the same plants as warrior cats do to heal o3o) of each colony x3) who had a disease that none of the healers had ever seen before, and, slowly, after the young pup died, many other members of all the colonies got the disease, and eventually, each of the tribes had less than half the members it had before they found the disease because they had to kick out the sick rodents so they won't get the disease, but usually that didn't work. Eventually, none of the living rodents where sick anymore, and then all of the colonies got angry at the Eastern Colony because they believed the disease came from them, and they kicked out the members of the Eastern Colony and they had to fend for themselves. A few of the rodents lived in smaller groups, each of them containing at least one hunter from the Colony and at least one fighter so all the members of the small groups could learn how to hunt and fight (but mostly hunt), and everyone started to hate the main character. She ran away from the small territory her former colony-members settled into, and she struggled to fend for herself. After a few days, she meets another squirrel and they quickly become friends.
That's all I've been able to come up with so far. Sorry if any of it is confusing, and sorry it's all in one huge paragraph x3

Sounds like a warriors cat series, with a different species of animal. I found many similarities, but then again, there were quite a few differences. I'm not saying it doesn't have the potential to become a great book, but I think it may be a good idea to change it up a little bit. Just my opinion, I don't mean to offend you, or your book idea.

I know you said that you're at the beginning of planning it out, and that it's fresh in your mind, so I don't have too much to say.

Yes, I've actually started to realize it's a bit like many books I've read (and a series that I've watched, but haven't read):
Redwall, Silverwing, Warrior Cats (mostly just two "groups" of cats; the Tribe of Rushing Water and SkyClan...), the Hunger Games (because of something that I just decided to add to the plot because I've realized I'm never going to get around to writing something else that has a plot kind of similar to the Hunger Games, but the oppostite of it, and it's semi-anual...) and maybe even other things... :/

[Lasesi]

I'd say it's fine for you to start talking C:. They won't have a problem with it.
All right.. so. I want some feedback here.

It's about oh... 2035, somewhere around there, and the setting is a post-apocalyptic scenario. The world didn't end by a disease or anything, it ended by our own creations; Drones. A drone would be a machine made to look exactly like a human, with skin and everything. The only difference being red eyes. The Drones, after being modified to have personalities and such, saw that they were being used as slaves and rebelled against the humans, thus killing pretty much all of the human race. But of course there are a few lucky survivors. So, the story will revolve around one woman, Elyjah is her name to be exact, who is constantly tormented by the fact that the machines she hated in the first place not only destroyed the world she used to know, but they also killed her fiance in front of her. So, no matter how irrational it may be - and slightly impossible - she's vowed to destroy the drones somehow, and take back what used to belong to the humans.
Now, I've set up the plot as a three event type scenario. With three big events, it's a common technique.
I. Caim {Her fiance} returns into the story, but as a drone. - So of course he's changed his opinion to the other side, and Elyjah now had to fight Caim as well.
II. Later on, eventually, Elyjah is captured and turned into a hybrid, a half drone, half human. But, she escapes with the rest of the humans that are being held captive there.
III. And as the climax, they figure out that the radio tower that's miraculously still live, sends signals to a microchip in the back of their necks. Even though she knows it will kill her as well, lyjah and the rest of her team storm the tower, and suced in knocking it over.
But don't worry, they bring her back xD
So.. opinions so far?

Hmm, Just putting this out there - It sounds a bit like a weird mix of the matrix, I-robot, the terminator series and something else that i just can't remember (it's nagging at my brain!! Maybe AI? i haven't watched that in years though X3). Plot wise - it sounds interesting, the idea of "drones" is a little overused, especially in sci-fi from the 50's and 60's, but at the end of the day there's a large element of how you write it and how well it's written. The love conflict is an interesting twist

A suggestion though - instead of the watchtower being "miraculously still live" (to me) it would make sense if the drones had all been guarding it/had produced more because it is their life source? I dunno X3 just putting that one out there..

And question - so are the drones actually alive? like.. artificial intelligence turned into real intelligence? Or are they still slaves to the tower? (aka the tower tells them what to do etc - cause if you did that you would have a big-bad guy or something)

[Lasesi]

Yes, I've actually started to realize it's a bit like many books I've read (and a series that I've watched, but haven't read):
Redwall, Silverwing, Warrior Cats (mostly just two "groups" of cats; the Tribe of Rushing Water and SkyClan...), the Hunger Games (because of something that I just decided to add to the plot because I've realized I'm never going to get around to writing something else that has a plot kind of similar to the Hunger Games, but the oppostite of it, and it's semi-anual...) and maybe even other things...

I wouldn't worry about that - if you look closely enough you'll see similarities in most books you read, especially romance novels. If something like a movie or book inspires you to create whatever world you create - it's a great thing! Just be careful not to copy anything. Inspiration/ characters based of other characters are not nesserserily a bad thing. There's only a limited number of plots in the world (look at, say, Star Wars Vs Eragon both centered around a kid with "special" abilities that sends him on an epic journey to improve powers and ultimately defeat bad guy)

For the books i'm writing... I shudder when i recognize similarities i've used. Especially with one of my stories where i can't help but feel it's very... "Lord of the rings"-esk in the whole hero's journey kind of thing.. and a myriad of other books XD! My other story started out as a Fan-fiction for supernatural (LOL) and took off in an entirely different direction - now there are very few/ no similarities anymore, aside from the idea of heaven and hell, demons, hunters and hellhounds (even the hellhounds arent' the same) - but at the end of the day that's very generic

Ha.. i went on a little bit in that

(Sorry for double post )

[Helreith Brynhildar]

Username: Helreith Brynhildar
What you'll call me: Helreith or "Hellie" (if you dare! :3)
My goals as a writer: Be satisfied with the current scribblings, develop a unique voice, be satisfied with my poetry, be able to write GOOD poetry in the traditional styles and original languages of the Ancient Norse. Romans, and Anglo-Saxons.
A sample of my writing: My prose is very contextually dependent, so here is a short poem utilizing internal rime.
Soft flesh of pine - wraiths of frost
Stumbling onward, ragged line
Sky not seeing, snow not telling,
Lines of life, fade to being,
The hour, never knelling.

Am I working on any books currently? Yes. It is very involved and unshaped.
Why do I want to join? I enjoy being around other writers.
Do I have any books published yet? Why is everyone so obsessed with publishing? And no.
Do I wish to find a writing partner? No, thanks.
What role? Erm, what does this mean?
What is my favourite genre? Anything beautiful, well-crafted, and a piece of art.
What kinds of books do I write? Anything that I am inspired sufficiently to write, I carry out.

Hi, all! Hope this is good. (: tell me if it's not and I'll edit. Got to go now, probably back in the next few bays. Bye!

[Helreith Brynhildar]

Back for a moment... Hello?

[Cloudsong]

Username: Cloudsong
What will we call you: Cloud? Or just Cloudsong :3
What are your goals as an author? I want to get through all of the books that I have running through my mind... And I also want to get at least a few of them published!
Can you give us a sample of your writing?

A long sigh escaped from the man sitting comfortably behind the counter. His blonde hair was ruffled and messy, and his eyes closed as he idly tapped his fingers on the desk as he allowed his mind wander. It had been a slow day in the shop, and only a few had even spared themselves to walk in, most leaving open-handedly. Most had been girls coming in just to see him, to which he had tried to politely shoo off. What made matters worse was that he had been alone most of the day, and still being quite clueless about reading, which was ironic as he did work in the only shop that contained old books. Antonia, the one person who knew of his secret, had taken it upon herself to teach him, spending every moment they had alone together teaching him the art of literature. Although he was intelligent, and eager to learn, most of the lessons would end with them talking about something else, or both of them laughing quite hard. Since she spent most of her hours away from the shop teaching others, they hadn't had their lesson for the day, and Marcel found himself missing it quite a lot. And her; she could always make him laugh, and brighten the last slow hours of the day before they were allowed to leave.

The bell rang at the top of the door, and Marcel instantly became alert once more, turning around to see who had entered. A smile lighted his lips as he saw Antonia there, laden with what appeared to be very heavy books. Being the gentleman he always was, he instantly strode over and took them out of her arms, carrying them over to the desk for her. "You were gone all day," he commented as he set them down, turning around and raising an eyebrow in mock accusation. "Should I be worried as to where you have been?"

Antonia rolled her eyes as she stretched, yawning. Silently she slipped into the chair next to the desk where he sat upon, and shrugged. "You know where I was, silly. I was teaching." Her eyes softened slightly, and she grinned. "I should have stopped by earlier, sorry... But you seem to be handling things pretty well on your own." Her tone was impressed.

He launched into a very detailed explanation of what had happened that day, including the man who had came in to return the book he had bought previously, though not mentioning the group of giggling girls who had entered to try and flirt with him. Perhaps it would annoy her, for he had seen her stiffen before when it would happen in front of her when they were out on the street. It had occurred to him that Antonia thought of him as more of a friend, and it was for that reason that he wouldn't like to mention girls, or saying anything about relationships. He wasn't sure of his feelings for her were yet, and would never delude her with false ideas that he would never be true to. Though they spent hours together, he sometimes wondered why he would one day have to change that. They were fine the way they were, and the affections he felt towards her weren't more than he felt for anyone else that was his friend.

When he had finished her tail, she was giggling already, which caused him to raise an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, crossing his arms as he leaned closer, waiting impatiently for a reply.

(Read the rest of this here! :3)

~

Are you currently working on any books? I'm working on-and-off with two, but really I'm just trying to practice as much as I can, so that when I do go to write my more planned-out ones, it will be with better writing ^^
Why do you want to join? Because I'm an author! 8D And I want to talk to more people who are into writing :3
Do you have published books yet? Not yet...
Do you wish to find a "writing partner"? If you mean someone to roleplay with, then sure! I'm always open to new roleplays...
What Role(s): N/A
What's your favorite Genre? Fantasy, historical, paranormal.
What kind of books do you write? See above ^

[MoonheartTheWarrior]

Yes, I've actually started to realize it's a bit like many books I've read (and a series that I've watched, but haven't read):
Redwall, Silverwing, Warrior Cats (mostly just two "groups" of cats; the Tribe of Rushing Water and SkyClan...), the Hunger Games (because of something that I just decided to add to the plot because I've realized I'm never going to get around to writing something else that has a plot kind of similar to the Hunger Games, but the oppostite of it, and it's semi-anual...) and maybe even other things... :/

I wouldn't worry about that - if you look closely enough you'll see similarities in most books you read, especially romance novels. If something like a movie or book inspires you to create whatever world you create - it's a great thing! Just be careful not to copy anything. Inspiration/ characters based of other characters are not nesserserily a bad thing. There's only a limited number of plots in the world (look at, say, Star Wars Vs Eragon both centered around a kid with "special" abilities that sends him on an epic journey to improve powers and ultimately defeat bad guy)

For the books i'm writing... I shudder when i recognize similarities i've used. Especially with one of my stories where i can't help but feel it's very... "Lord of the rings"-esk in the whole hero's journey kind of thing.. and a myriad of other books XD! My other story started out as a Fan-fiction for supernatural (LOL) and took off in an entirely different direction - now there are very few/ no similarities anymore, aside from the idea of heaven and hell, demons, hunters and hellhounds (even the hellhounds arent' the same) - but at the end of the day that's very generic :D

Ha.. i went on a little bit in that :D

(Sorry for double post :oops: )

I actually get plot ideas more often when listening to music (that's every time I'm on the computer unless it's very late/very early), finish reading something, finish watching something or have a crazy dream that isn't very very close to another story/movie. This story, I got the idea for while playing Transformice. But I had to change a bunch of it's plot so the leaders aren't mary/gary-sues who can magically build stuff and shoot other mice all over the place. And also why the characters are rodents.